Opportunity to Comment on Tuleyome Off-Highway Recreational Motor Vehicle Grant for Knoxville OHV Trails

Sandy Schubert • March 7, 2022

Tuleyome is requesting $335,599 to repair acute erosion along 13-miles of off-highway vehicle (OHV) trails within the federal Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) 18,000-acre Knoxville Management Area within Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument and adjacent to the University of California’s McLaughlin Reserve. The total project cost is $538,996, but over $200,000 will be covered by matching funds — partners, experts and community volunteers. The landscape, which lies within the Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument and the Lake Berryessa watershed in rural Lake and Napa counties, was scorched by catastrophic wildfires in 2015 and again in 2020.


Tuleyome developed this project in consultation with the BLM Ukiah Field Office, experts, and Post Wildfire OHV Recovery Alliance. This proposal is designed to compliment other grants and on the ground activities in Knoxville. Partnerships are key to the successful management of resources and outdoor experiences for which this Monument was created.


Improvements will address severe fire damage and associated erosion, chronic erosion associated with OHV use and uncontrolled runoff drainage exacerbated by the scarred landscape. The main trail was constructed for mineral mining and harvesting trees in earlier eras, without modern features such as water bars and outsloped grading. Many spur trails were not designed or constructed at all, but rather were created by OHV use. These spurs do not follow contours or manage runoff, and have eroded significantly in some areas. Degraded trail sections continue to be used, worsening the impact on downstream natural and cultural resources. 


Improvements will increase the accessibility and usability of the designated trail network, thereby decreasing illegal OHV use on surrounding public and private lands. This attraction away from unmanaged areas will decrease erosion and damage to natural areas, and protect sensitive species and cultural resources. These improvements will also benefit watershed health in the OHV area and downstream water quality.


To review the grant and submit comments, click here. Go to the “Agency” box and scroll down until you see Tuleyome (page 2 of 3). Click on that and away you go.


And, please, don’t forget to send your comments to Tuleyome also at information@tuleyome.org.


-Sandra Schubert; sschubert@tuleyome.org


Executive Director

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